Bequest benefits journalism and Latin American scholars

UW–Madison alumna Helen Firstbrook Franklin was a passionate journalist and world traveler. A bequest from her estate will benefit a range of programs in the College of Letters and Science in areas that were of special interest to her.

Reflecting her career as an editor/writer for Reader’s Digest and expert on Latin American issues, Franklin’s gift will establish an endowed professorship and two distinguished graduate fellowships in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, plus two distinguished graduate fellowships in the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program.

The Franklin estate also will endow student activities in the undergraduate Writing Fellows Program along with innovative projects in the arts and humanities within the College of Letters and Science.

“We are a small faculty who offer professional training to both undergraduate and graduate students. This gift from the Helen Firstbrook Franklin estate will not only help us maintain a high quality professional faculty but also will enable us to support graduate students with those goals as well,” says Sharon Dunwoody, Evjue-Bascom Professor and director of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

A native of New Jersey, Franklin received her B.A. in journalism from UW–Madison in 1937. The UW was one of only three journalism schools in the country and to Franklin seemed the most interesting. She returned to the east coast and worked for local newspapers, including her hometown Asbury Press.

After a short stint at a public relations firm in New York City, Franklin was hired as a librarian by the wife of Reader’s Digest co-founder DeWitt Wallace. Soon Franklin began taking on editorial duties that included selecting contributions from readers for publication.

Franklin became interested in Latin America and was an intrepid traveler, learning Spanish and establishing contacts. With Castro’s rise to power in Cuba, the Reader’s Digest decided to put greater emphasis on Latin America and assigned Franklin to lead its coverage. Until her retirement in 1978, Franklin worked with Reader’s Digest offices in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico contributing articles and photographs.

After moving to Florida in 1980 with her husband, a retired physicist, Franklin continued to work for Reader’s Digest reading and editing books. She remained active in international, national and local cultural organizations until her death in April 2000 at age 85.